Mario Cuomo, former New York governor, dead at 82  —  Ever-eloquent Mario Cuomo, a son of Queens who rode his rhetorical gifts to three terms as New York governor and tantalized Democrats by flirting with a run for President, died Thursday, two sources close to the family said.  He was 82.

Peachtree City police chief shoots wife  —  PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — The wife of Peachtree City Police Chief William E. McCollum is in critical condition after being shot by her husband Thursday morning.  —  Police responded to the couple's home in the 100 block of Autumn Leaf shortly after 4:15 a.m. …

Liberals Can't Argue, They Can Only Bully [Updated]  —  No one expects sensible commentary on firearms from the New Yorker, but this gun control rant is worth noting because it is so typical of modern liberalism.  Facts?  Who needs facts?  Bullying is all that the left aspires to.

Local counties to end courthouse weddings to avoid marrying gays  —  Couples who wanted to skip the pomp and circumstance of a wedding and get married at the Duval, Clay or Baker county courthouses will no longer have that option in the new year.  —  These counties' decision to end …

Dems take cautious approach with Scalise  —  Democrats are taking a strikingly cautious approach to the controversy surrounding House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and his speech to a white supremacist group in 2002.  —  The vast majority of Democrats are not calling for Scalise to resign, or for leadership to drop him.

Budget war looms for Obama, GOP  —  The federal budget is almost certain to be the central battleground between President Obama and the new Republican Congress in 2015.  —  The GOP has vowed to use control of the House and Senate to slash the size of government, with entitlement programs …

NYPD cop turns himself in for attacking female MTA employee  —  The man had attacked the 28-year-old transit employee on a Bronx subway platform by putting her in a bear hug, throwing her to the ground and choking her.  The NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau is now investigating the incident.

EXCLUSIVE: Bill de Blasio's tense relationship with the NYPD casting shadow over DNC bid  —  Party officials are concerned the bad blood might still be an issue when the convention is held in 2016, stealing the spotlight from the party's presidential nominee, a top Democrat told the Daily News.

Thruway Authority executives forced out amid agency investigation  —  Two top executives at the New York State Thruway Authority submitted their resignations Wednesday — ahead of a scathing investigative report on the agency's operations, sources said.  —  Executive Director Tom Madison …